Almost Too Late
by Nymus
Summary: Translation of my own fic. He unfolded the paper and found a phone number. He thought that he had thrown it out already. He stayed looking at it while he remembered the shiny smile that had accompanied the little sheet. "Call me every time that you need me" High School AU


Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Mashima (who keeps killing us with his manga)

* * *

He ran off the house as fast as he could, without even fixing the clothes he was wearing. He ran without looking where he was going, he didn't know for how long. It was a miracle that he wasn't crushed by a car, taking in count all the honks and sudden brakings he heard. Maybe that would have been better. When he finally ran out of breath, he reduced speed step by step until he stopped, feeling a jab in the ribs. He looked around and found out that he didn't have a clue about where he was.

He kept walking forward because the only thing he knew was that he didn't want to turn back. He arrived to a very busy street that he guessed was the Via Mayor, although he never had seen that part of it. He was totally lost.

He breathed deeply a few times to recover the calm and tried to make a plan. He had nowhere to go and it was getting late. He checked his pockets and found a pair of coins and a crumpled paper. It was all the money he had. It was enough to buy a pack of cookies and nothing more. Or he could…

He unfolded the paper and found a phone number. He thought that he had thrown it out already. He stayed looking at it while he remembered the shiny smile that had accompanied the little sheet.

"Call me every time that you need me"

Rogue bit his lip hesitantly. He didn't want to bother him with his problems. He hated being a burden. He looked up and a fresh autumnal breeze mess his hair up. He blinked a few times to hold his tears back. He was alone, at some place that he didn't know, without money and he couldn't return home. That small paper was his only hope to find a warm place to sleep that night. He started to walk following the Via Mayor until he found what he was searching. In a gas station he found one of the almost extinct payphones.

He breathed again and spent his last coins on the phone. Then he dialed with extreme caution. It rang a few times and then someone caught the call.

"Hello?"

Hearing his voice after everything that happened that day was too much for him. His eyes were clouded again and this time he couldn't do anything to stop the tears.

* * *

Sting was at home when his phone rang, showing an unknown number at the screen. The blonde stretched his body for a moment and then answered.

"Hello?"

No one replied, but he could hear a heavy breathing from the other side.

"Who's there?"

Again, no one answered though he was still hearing the breathing and also something that seemed… sobs?

"Hey, if this is a joke it's not…"

"S-sting?"

He recognized the voice at the moment, but the surprise let him speechless for a second. He have never called before. And also…

"Rogue? Are you crying? What happened!?"

"I-I… I need…" He heard a faltering sigh "I need you to come for me, p-please"

"Are you okay?! Someone hurt you?!"

"P-please"

"Where are you?! I'll go right away"

"I'm in a gas station at the Via Mayor"

"What? Where?"

"I-I don't know… There's a tree in front and…"

"A tree?"

The call got disconnected at that moment. Sting blinked and returned the call.

"The number you have dialed cannot be reached"

The boy cursed and threw the phone over the bed.

* * *

Money was over. Rogue stayed still, with the phone on his hand, for an entire minute before hung up. He was an idiot. He deserved everything that happened to him. He should stop bothering people with his absurd worries. He should go back home and face whatever were waiting there… The sole though sent shiver under his spine. No. He rather would sleep at the street than return home. But… But he said that he will go right away. For some reason, he seemed very worried when he said that.

He decided to trust in what Sting said. He will come for him. So Rogue will wait him.

He cleaned his face when entering the station shop. His stomach growled, reminding him that he didn't eat anything since lunch. He ignored it of course, because he couldn't do anything else. His last coins disappeared with the call. He went to the bathroom to wash his face, but he regretted when he looked at the mirror. Looking at his eyes expression and his disheveled clothes was a sudden reminder of the reason he ran off from home. He looked away from his reflection and finished what he was doing as soon as he could. The wind was cold outside, so he chose to wait inside the shop, in one of the chairs placed for the customers. He wasn't exactly a customer, but he will wait there anyway. Because Sting will come for him.

He sat in silence, absently looking to people walking on the street. While he waited, he started to remember how he and the blonde had met. And how it was that he turned into the only person that Rogue could trust. The trust was that all the merit belonged to Sting.

The first time they spoke was when some bullies tried to hit him and Sting appeared as if he fell from the sky to rescue him. He was the new guy and Rogue didn't understand why he risked himself joining a fight when he just arrived. And on top of that to help him. That's why when the other boy extended him his hand to help him to stand up, he thought that it must be an error. That giant smile couldn't be for someone like him. He wasn't good enough to deserve it. However, he reached for the hand in front of him and since then, he had been dragged by the blonde. Together with Sting, he meet new people and found out that he wasn't really bothering them, as he had though until then. He couldn't say that he made friends but, just knowing that he was one more and not the outcast was enough for him. Even when they just saw each other at school, he had ended orbiting like a planet around the sun that the other guy was. He couldn't stop himself from following him wherever he wanted and, at some point, Sting became the most important person for him. The only light in the shadows that ruled his life the last times. He shivered once. The shop was getting cold.

Rogue never spoke about his life outside the school. He never accepted his friend invitations to visit his house, because he knew that it would have implied return the invitation. Neither had he told him about his problems before. Mainly because he didn't want the darkness on his life stained the moments that they lived together. It was easy to forget everything when he listened to him speaking about some funny story from the past or whining about how much they had to study. Or about anything, telling the truth. Everything was good if it was him. Although he received the paper with the number months ago, it was the first time that they actually spoke outside the school. And, if things were different, he doubted he would have ever called.

Rogue sighed while another shiver ran down his back. He wasn't sure if he made the correct decision, but he didn't have any option. He buried his face on his hands and laid his head on the table. He stayed that way for a while, until he heard a soft knock on the furniture.

He looked up to find a paper cup filled with hot coffee. The store clerk was also there. The boy blushed and tried to explain himself

"I-I'm sorry. I-I don't have money…"

"Don't worry, this is on the house"

"Uh… Thank you very much"

"Anyway, shouldn't you return home already? It's starting to get dark"

"What?" He looked out the window and found out that the woman was right and the sky was in pink and blue shades.

"Oh… Don't worry. I'm waiting someone, he'll come for me soon"

"Are you sure? I have no problem if you want to stay a little more, but it's late"

Rogue looked to the clock on the wall, realizing

"Yeah, don't worry. He'll come soon"

He took a sip of coffee and felt the hot liquid warming him inside. He didn't notice that how cold he, but it seemed that she did. He thanked her again, and after that some customers entered the shop so she returned to her job.

Time kept running and night fell. Half an hour after the coffee, Rogue was starting to feeling cold again. The day had been warm, but the autumn nights were cold. A while later, the clerk approached again and said.

"Hey, boy. It's almost time to close, you should…"

"No! Just a little more, please! He must be about to arrive"

The woman peered at him and then nodded.

"Okay, you can stay until I close"

Minutes tickled one by one, and a bit later the clerk started her routine to close the store. She didn't say anything else and didn't ask him to leave.

She cleaned the shop slower than she was used to. She also verified that all the products were in order and made the count of the profits from the day. When she ended, she stayed a few minutes looking from the clock to the boy sat near a empty coffee cup.

However, she couldn't do anything else so she sighed softly and went to him.

"I'm sorry, I really have to close"

Rogue looked at the hour a last time and nodded while he stood up from the chair

"I'm sorry I bothered you"

"It's not a problem, don't worry. I'm sorry you can't stay more time here"

He went out to the street and watched the lights turning off inside the store. He saw the woman turn on the alarm, close and lock the door.

She looked at him, with a soft expression on her face.

"Do you have a place to go?"

Rogue bend his head looking to the ground, his locks hiding his face, and fisted his hands.

It was then when they heard a sudden voice.

"Rogue! Rogue!"

They both turned to the sound and saw Sting running to them at full speed.

"Dammit, Rogue! Do you know how many gas stations are on this street?" Sting said after arrive and give him a short hug "You're frozen! Why are you wearing just this shirt?" While he spoke, he took off his coat and put it over his friend shoulders "Not only that! Why are you still wearing the uniform? We left school hours ago!" Rogue stayed still, looking at him with wide eyes and limp arms "I've been looking for you for over two hours! I've stopped at every station! You never notice how many things are until…" The blonde interrupted his speech when the other one finally reacted and grasped his vest. The black haired boy hid his face on Sting's chest and started to cry.

However, this time his tears came from relief. In spite that he had kept waiting, he never believed that Sting actually will go to pick him. He gave him very vague signs after all. His desperation had been growing each minute and his last hope died when the lights of the store turn off. Nonetheless, he was there now. He had been looking for him all this time. Rogue couldn't stop himself from crying.

The blonde didn't know what to do at first. Rogue was always so controlled that this sudden burst caught him by surprise. He hugged him closer and then slowly caressed his back.

"I'm sorry I'm so late" Sting whispered

Rogue shaked his head and kept crying even more loudly.

The clerk smiled to them and then left, but just Sting noticed her. Several minutes passed before the boy got to control himself enough. The blonde looked at his friend face and said smiling.

"Let's go home"

Rogue nodded quickly and returned the smile.

* * *

Thanks you for reading :3 I'm very sorry for my shitty english, if you catch some mistake please let me now!

Edit: Thanks to Tsubasa for the correction and also the kind review!


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